Nico di Angelo and the Quest of Fire
by nathan-x
Summary: There was something different about Leo Valdez's death and Nico di Angelo wanted to find out why.


**I**t had been three whole weeks since Nico di Angelo was released from the infirmary, yet he found himself back there once again.

"Trying to shadow travel yourself all the way to Camp Jupiter and back? What were you thinking? You're still supposed to be rest period!" Will Solace had shrieked into his face when Jason had brought him there, limp and weak. Had he not been vampire pale, most of the campers wouldn't have noticed him writhing on the ground.

What Nico might have also failed to mention was he hadn't even gone to Camp Jupiter. He'd instead jumped off to his favorite place, a New Orleans graveyard.

Nico lazily watched as the blonde attended patients, speaking to them tenderly as they groaned in pain. He scowled. At least he didn't complain this much. Nico respected Will's ability to keep a kind façade whilst doing his job.

He raised his arm. He'd gotten a new aviator jacket after his old one had been shredded by monsters. This one, he had to say, was better. It was pitch black, the color he preferred his clothes to be. Nico could sense the darkness around him, merging perfectly with his clothes. From the corner of his eye, he could sense the other patients becoming skittish. That was his bad. He still hadn't reigned control over his powers.

Will sighed and made his way over to his stubborn patient.

"Why won't you ever listen to me di Angelo, huh?" Will asked in a gloomy tone, unusual from his upbeat one. "All I wanted was for you to get better."

Nico felt a knot tie up in his stomach. Guilt. He hadn't felt this way since Leo…exploded. Hearing Will's voice caused him internal pain; the same way he felt when it dawned upon him that he was the reason Leo Valdez had supposedly died. Or so everyone thought.

"I'm fine," he snapped, turning his body. He didn't want to see Will's face, a frown did not suit him at all. Nico felt his cheeks flush. What was he thinking? He heard Will scoff and turn on his heel. Whatever. He didn't care. He had other things to think about.

Five days after Leo had disappeared, his death instinct changed. He couldn't quite point it out, but there was something about Leo's 'death' that didn't add up. He couldn't sense Leo's soul going through the underworld, past the judges. Nico had considered a trip to his father's realm to find out himself, but thought against. Besides, Will would have a fit.

But something wasn't quite right. It was like Leo had died, but his soul never made it to the underworld. That got Nico riled up with his own set of questions. Where was Leo Valdez? Was he alright? Did he miraculously take the physician's cure? The last question made his insides squirm.

Of course, he didn't confide this matter with anyone. Not Reyna, not Jason or even Hazel, despite his frequent trips to the Roman camp. Nico was sure he was visiting because he missed his sister and Reyna, but there was something else. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Before the war with Gaea, Nico's biggest inner conflict was that he didn't fit in with either camps. The shadows were his home. The ghosts and the dead were his allies, his comrades. Now, he wasn't sure which camp he belonged in. He was welcomed with open arms by both, that wasn't the problem.

Lately, Nico didn't know which camp he'd fit into. Yes, he was claimed by Hades, he was taken to Camp Half-Blood first but he had spent an equal amount at Camp Jupiter and had spent his fair share of time down in the underworld. These very thoughts made his head spin. All he knew was, he was out of place once more.

A knock at the open infirmary door jolted him out of his thoughts.

"How's he doing?" Jason's hushed voice was heard through the infirmary. Will shrugged.

"Beats me. Stubborn guy, he is. Why don't you and ask him?" Nico felt his stomach sink. Was Will giving up all hope on him? Nico's frown intensified. Great. He'd managed to turn the sweetest guy in camp against him.

A gentle hand clasped on his forehead. For a second, he thought it was Will. He felt like a deflated balloon when found himself staring into the electric blue eyes of Jason Grace.

"You're healing, that's good," Jason murmured, mainly to himself. Nico didn't bother removing Jason's hand. He considered himself to be Nico's older brother which meant he could be quite protective. The son of Jupiter was even more stubborn than Nico, there was no point trying to protest.

"You didn't go to Camp Jupiter, did you?" Jason asked him, an eyebrow raised. Lately, Jason had been good at reading Nico's mind.

"No."

"So where did you go?"

"Somewhere in the U.S."

Jason's brow furrowed. "We're talking about this soon. What's up with Will?"

Nico scowled. "I don't want to talk about it." Jason's eyebrow remained in a perfect arch, until he realized what happened, The faintest of grins breaking loose.

"Riiiight. Just don't let anyone from the Aphrodite cabin hear about this." He said, dragging out the 'I'.

"I know what you're thinking, and it's not that, Jason Grace. Don't make me summon Jules-Albert."

* * *

The next day, Nico was released from the infirmary with a bill of perfect health. He and Will locked eyes for a moment; right there, Nico wanted to spill his guts but he forced himself to look away.

He knew that Jason would be waiting for the chance to nag him about his whereabouts, so he decided to take a little trip to Camp Jupiter. A couple of the Demeter children were going to Camp Jupiter with Argus and they avoided Nico like the plague. Hitching a ride with them wouldn't be a bad idea.

Nico nestled himself at the back of the van, away from the chattering girls who were talking about uprooting weeds and whatnot. Nico hadn't exactly had the best experience with the Demeter kids. It wasn't his fault that whenever he walked past their flowers they died. He was the son of death after all.

A couple of hours later, he found himself at Camp Jupiter, where the war games were currently taking place. Reyna was probably monitoring the game on her new Pegasus Guido. Horses and other ungulates made him sweat uncomfortably. It was pretty clear; Nico di Angelo preferred the dead over the living.

A small purple tent caught his attention. Nico wandered over to it and peered inside. Rachel Elizabeth Dare and the harpy, Ella. Rachel spent most of her time with Ella, trying to reconstruct the Sibylline Books which contained most of the sacred prophecies. Parchments of paper were strewn around Rachel as she scratched her head in confusion.

"Anything new?" Nico asked which made Rachel jump.

"New. New shoes. New Rome. Good colleges. Nice cafeteria-" Ella started to ramble but was cut off by Rachel.

"Okay, yeah thank you Ella. Nico, you scared me. And to answer your question, I've only got bits of prophecies which Ella remembers," Rachel said, eyeing Nico as he kneeled down and absent mindedly picked up paper.

_To a woman a baby is born,_

_The child is one of Greece and Rome. _

"The child is one of Greece and Rome?" Nico asked.

"I don't know. Prophecies are usually confusing. But literally, this one doesn't really make any sense." Nico didn't know why he was here, but he found his fingers brushing over another crumpled parchment.

_Fire is not extinguished yet,_

_Escaping and cheating a painful death,_

_Light will guide them through the quest,_

_Darkness will break through the test_

_The ghost and forge will combine as one_

_War will make sure the battle is won_

_The loss of a loved one will show the fail_

_Alas, love will prevail_

Nico blinked. Once. Twice. Nico felt uneasy about the entire prophecy, but the first line was enough to capture his attention. Fire. Forge. It could be talking about Leo.

Nico didn't like the lines that followed after it. Escaping death? It didn't necessarily mean Leo, but it gave Nico a feeling he'd put out a long time ago. Hope Nico owed this much to Leo. He could've prevented Octavian from dying and that blasting onager. Leo might still be here, cracking corny jokes and irritating everyone.

Nico di Angelo felt an obligation. He needed to find Leo Valdez.


End file.
